variant
/ˈvæɹi.ənt/adjective, noun
variant is spelled V-A-R-I-A-N-T: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, variant means “Showing variety, diverse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in variant?
| Letters | 7: V-A-R-I-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.0 times per million words; the 9,878th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is variant?
Variant appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce variant?
- UK /ˈvɛəɹi.ənt/
- US /ˈvæɹi.ənt/
- US /ˈvɛɹi.ənt/
Variant has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-variant.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of variant
- more variant comparative
- most variant superlative
- variants plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does variant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Showing variety, diverse.
- 2
Showing deviation or disagreement.
- 3
obsoleteVariable.
- 4
Covariant and/or contravariant.
noun
- 1
Something that is slightly different from a type or norm.
All breeds of dog are variants of the species “Canis lupus familiaris”.
- 2
A different sequence of a gene (locus).
- 3
A variable that can hold any of various unrelated data types.
- 4
One of a set of words or other linguistic forms that conveys the same meaning or serves the same function.
The word "kerosine" is a variant of “kerosene”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate variant?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of variant: var..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Variant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does variant come from?
From Old French variant, from Latin variāns, the present active participle of variō (“to change”). First attested in c. 1380.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).